Parliament, Sunday, 28 July 2024 – The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) will consider the Appropriation Bill this week and debate Budget Votes as it wraps up its activities for the first term.
On Monday, the NCOP will convene a hybrid plenary at 14:00 for a policy debate on the Department of Transport’s Budget Vote. The House will reconvene on Wednesday at 14:00 to debate the Budget Vote of the Department of Small Business Development and the Budget Vote of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. Both budget votes will be one debate.
On Tuesday at 10:00, the NCOP’s Select Committee on Appropriations and Select Committee on Finance will hold a joint induction workshop. Content advisors will brief members of the two committees on the legacy reports of the Select Committees on Appropriations and Finance, including committee mandates. The committee secretaries will also brief members on procedural matters.
On Wednesday at 14:00, the Appropriation Bill, which was tabled by the Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana, in February during his Budget Speech, will be before the Council in a hybrid plenary sitting.
The Bill provides for money to be appropriated from the National Revenue Fund for the state’s requirements in this financial year. The Bill not only appropriates money for the requirements for the current financial year but also prescribes conditions for the spending of the funds withdrawn for the 2025/26 financial year before the commencement of the Appropriation Act and for matters incidental to it.
After this week’s activities the NCOP will have a constituency period and is scheduled to resume on 19 August 2024 for the second term of its parliamentary programme. The National Assembly’s constituency period will start this week.
During these constituency periods Members of Parliament have a duty to be available to the public, help solve problems and report back to their constituents on what is happening in Parliament. The purpose of these periods is to encourage MPs to remain in contact with the people they represent.
There are three other committee meetings scheduled in the NCOP this week:
MONDAY, 29 JULY 2024
Select Committee on Economic Development and Trade – Consideration of the Department of Small Business Development’s Policy Assessment and Recommendation Report; Consideration of the Second Term Committee Programme. This meeting is scheduled for 13h00 to 14h00 on the Virtual
Meeting Platform.
TUESDAY, 30 JULY 2024
Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries – Consideration and adoption of the following: Draft Minutes; Draft second term committee programme; Presentation of the 6th Parliament Committee Legacy Report by the content advisor. This meeting is scheduled for 10:00 to 11:30 on the Virtual Meeting Platform.
Select Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Mineral Resources – Briefing by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries on Vote 32 and Annual Performance Plans, Consideration and Adoption of Minutes. This meeting is scheduled for 10:00 to 13:30 on the Virtual Meeting Platform.
